The Patti Maxine Experience – 7:00 PM

Saturday, December 1, 2018 @ 7:00 PM

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Patti Maxine is a Santa Cruz music icon affectionately known as The Queen of Steel for her signature lap steel playing. She will celebrate her 80th year*, her 66th year performing, the release of her first album, Steelin’ Home, and her change in hairstyle (no longer silver flowing waist length) with her music friends and her fans. Backed by a full band, Patti will also play and sing solo and with other guest artists.

Patti was originally drawn to the lap steel, as a young girl in Virginia, owing to its presence and sound in Hawaiian music. Moving west, she won her first competition more than 60 years ago and eventually landed up in the Santa Cruz area, where she was a member of the first local Western Swing band, Saddle up and Boogie. She later joined Island Breeze, a local Hawaiian band still performing. Over the last 5 years Patti was lead steel guitarist in the popular Americana/folk group, Henhouse, and most recently she joined Jazz the Dog, a collective of local musical luminaries led by Rhan Wilson. In addition to these regular gigs, Patti is asked to play with just about everyone in town, from very young groups to her own (nearly) generation – a testimony to both the quality of her playing and her willingness and skill in giving others performance space. When Hawaiian masters come to town, they often request her services and she is now also invited each year to perform at the Maui Steel Guitar Festival, quite an honor for a mainlander.

It is no surprise that she has become a sought after session player, recording with dozens of artists. It is a surprise, however, that Patti has never recorded an album of her own. This is now rectified with the release, at this concert, of Steelin’ Home, a collection of her favorite material covering a wide genre and featuring Patti on lap steel guitar, guitar, and vocals.

*Royalty (for example The Queen of England) often has two birthdays: a real one and an “official” one which her subjects can celebrate. Patti’s real 80th birthday was in September. This Dec 1st show is the “official” celebration of the Queen of Steel’s 80th, and, to accommodate as many of her subjects (sorry, fans) as possible, there will be both an early show (7pm) and a late show (9:15pm).